Developers in South Shore are hustling to keep up with the area’s rapid growth.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data for South Shore – Apollo Beach, Gibsonton, Riverview, Ruskin, Sun City Center and Wimauma — the area's population grew from 57,119 to 142,178 between 2000 and 2010, an increase of nearly 150 percent.

The logical next step is giving all those people something to do on a Saturday night.

Southshore Commons, a planned mega mall on the southwest intersection of Big Bend Road near I-75 in Riverview, hopes to fill that void.

“We think the South Shore area is underserved by retail today, with residents in that area having to drive north,” said Tina Guegold, vice president of marketing for Nationwide Realty.

The project will include 1 million square feet of retail space and nearly 500,000 square feet of office space, along with a movie theater and a 250-room hotel on 137 acres, according to Guegold.

By comparison, the Westfield Brandon Shopping Center — located 11 miles north of the proposed Southshore Commons site — has a little more than one million square feet of retail space housing more than 200 shops and restaurants.

Guegold said there is no timetable for the start of construction on Southshore Commons.

“We’ve found that the market has come back in many parts, but is still a bit soft in that part of Florida,” she said.

Guegold said Nationwide is looking for anchor tenants for the project and there is no target date for completion of its first phase.